


A Right to Life

by firewolfsg



Series: A Second Chance at Life AU [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Thrawn - Timothy Zahn
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Feels, Brotherhood, Brotherly Love, Brothers, Family Feels, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-28
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-12-08 00:06:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11634780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firewolfsg/pseuds/firewolfsg
Summary: An AU suggestion of another reason why Thrawn was exiled.Outbound Flight didn't happen in this verse too, so Thrass is alive.





	A Right to Life

Exile. The sentence was passed and there was nothing that Mitth'ras'safis could do to change it. However, it could have been worse. What Mitth'ras'safis had done for the love of his brother… The Aristocra had been scandalised and repulsed, the Admiralty at a loss. However, they had been merciful.

A planet was carefully chosen, and supplies provided so that the judgement was not a death sentence. The—thing that the Aristocra would consider Mitth'ras'safis’ greatest mistake in his records would be allowed a life away from their society.

They permitted him to visit it on the morning it would be taken away. Mitth'ras'safis had stood for a long moment at the door to the cell staring at his creation—his brother’s clone…

“Thrawn—“

“You know that is not accurate, Syndic.” The clone cut him off. “Your brother is still alive… in a coma… but still alive.”

“I do not care what others have said. You are everything that he is; made of his genetic material with all his memories--”

“Is that completely true, Syndic?” The clone stood to face him. “Didn’t you give into temptation to correct problems; the deficiencies within him caused by malnutrition as a child. He had always been far too small and skinny. But you have engineered strength to this body, Syndic. And there are far too many memories for the alleged age of this form.”

Thrass flinched in guilt, but he would not look away from the blazing eyes which were still so familiar to him. “The being on that hospital bed has grown less like my brother with every passing day. Any higher brain function has already ceased to exist. The doctors tell me it is only a matter of time before it expires…

“I made you to give my brother a *chance* at life. I wanted to give you a life not cut short because of illness or accident!”

“I am still a clone of a living man, Syndic. Even the Aristocra will not accept for me to step unchallenged into your brother’s life.” The clone shook his head. “I am to be exiled.”

“With a purpose.” Thrass snarled at the verdict delivered. “Do not think me unaware of the mission the Admiralty has place upon you.”

“And what is life without purpose?”

They fell into silence again. The clone returning to his bed to sit upon it in meditation; Thrass still with hands upon the clear surface of the door separating them.

“Do you hate me?” Thrass asked softly. Almost too softly—he wasn’t sure he actually wanted the clone to hear his question and answer him. He did though.

“You created me out of love for your brother.” The clone looked up to meet his eyes again. “And you alone are willing to look at me—and see your brother…”

“Use the name, Mitth'raw'nuruodo. It is *your* name, Thrawn.” Thrass hissed at him with urgency. “In exile, you WILL be Mitth'raw'nuruodo now, and when you return from your mission. I will not accept anything less.”

“Thrass…”

Joy touched the heart of the Syndic to hear his brother speak his core name again. “My brother, when these others bring you to their world, I have the utmost confidence you will bring honour to the name and to our house.”

“That, I will do. I do not believe I could ever do less.”

* * *

Away from the Emperor, Lord Vader bade the Grand Admiral follow him to a quiet meeting room. Mitth'raw'nuruodo looked upon the dark lord with curiosity. As he had stated to the Emperor, he had never met Lord Vader before, and by reputation the dark lord was not a man to socialise.

“You interest me, Grand Admiral Mitth'raw'nuruodo.” Vader faced him across the table. “I wish to correct your perception. My form has changed much, but we did meet many years ago… Before you came to the Empire.”

Thrawn frowned at him, his heart skipping a beat as he realised that this would have been before he, the clone of Mitth'raw'nuruodo, had existed. How strange to be reminded of this after nearly a decade of accepting his life as his own.

“You feel familiar, and yet you seem—too young for the man I met.”

The memory came to him with a sudden flash of remembered pain. “Anakin?”

“You remember?”

“I—“ Thrawn struggled to free himself of the flood of memories… The grand adventure that had come of the meeting between a Chiss Expansionary Force sub commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker… The volatile mix of Thrawn’s cleverness and Anakin’s brash boldness… The exasperation of his Commander and Anakin’s Jedi Master in trying to rein them in… The accident that ‘killed’ Thrawn. Placing him in a coma that the doctors told his brother he would never awaken from. An accident that lead to his creation—and exile.

A cold leather hand gripping his brought Thrawn back to his senses to let him find Vader kneeling beside his chair. From the way the dark lord was now looking at him, Thrawn knew that he must have seen everything in the Force. He *knew*.

“You are his clone… but you are also Mitth'raw'nuruodo… with all the memories and the same life essence… Thrawn, I wasn’t allowed to apologise to you then, I do so to you now. As I see the chain of events I had caused had also led to your exile.”

“Life essence?”

“You *are* the *same* Mitth'raw'nuruodo I met in the past. Only about a decade or so younger.” Vader told him solemnly.

“Will you reveal this to the Emperor?”

“What purpose would that accomplish?” Vader rose to his feet and took the seat across from Thrawn once more. “I am glad for your presence with us, Mitth'raw'nuruodo. Your accomplishments in reaching the rank of Grand Admiral in less than a decade may be shocking to others, but it is not a surprise to me.”

Thrawn closed his eyes and took a deep breath, not knowing what to say. His entire existence—it seemed somehow validated now. So, he went with simple sincerity.

“Thank you.”

The dark lord nodded to him. And with that, Thrawn had felt as if a great weight of judgement had finally been lifted from his shoulders. He had fully embraced the life of Mitth'raw'nuruodo and there was no one who would ever be able to convince him otherwise again.

“I actually have something else that I wish to discuss, Grand Admiral.” Vader leaned across the table towards him. “Have you ever heard of the Black Sun?”

Thrawn lifted an eyebrow. Commander Vanto had spoken to him about this group before. A crime syndicate that apparently had the Emperor’s favour.

“They are a blight upon our rule.” Vader elaborated.

Of that Thrawn had little disagreement. His lips lifted in a smile Anakin Skywalker would have been familiar with. Vader nodded to him and started to pull out a few data pads.

They had both changed much, but it was heartening to Thrawn that there were some things that stayed the same.

End

**Author's Note:**

> This could be loosely connect to one of my earlier Thrawn fics, but that development is going to take a long while to flash out. I would one day like to eventually have some stories developed of the 'Adventures of Anakin and Thrawn'.


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